This module concerning Anna Deavere Smith's Fires in the Mirror zeroes in on the importance of language, dress, and mannerisms when communicating between people of different racial and ethnic backgrounds, as well as between women and men. Exploration of the conflicts that arose in Crown Heights, Brooklyn due to deeply held misunderstandings and hatreds serve as the background for this exploration. Students are required to explore the process used by Smith for collecting and using data gained through interviews in the field.
Learning Objectives:
By participating in this module, a student will be able to:
1. Explain the importance of language, dress, and mannerisms as markers of the diversity of selected characters in the play as presented by the playwright/actress on the videos on youtube taken from a television adaptation of the play.
2. Restate the incidents that happened in Crown Heights, including your response to it, in your own words in the form of a letter addressed to a close friend.
3. Summarize the personal idiosyncrasies and the speech patterns of an individual that Smith has performed.
13.2 See the videos found on youtube of a 6-part made for television performance based on the play __Fires in the Mirror__ Discuss the approach that Smith portrays and how she structures her work building toward the final scene in the play. Discuss how effectively she creates this work for television and how different it might be between a stage version and a television version that you watch.
This module concerning Anna Deavere Smith's Fires in the Mirror zeroes in on the importance of language, dress, and mannerisms when communicating between people of different racial and ethnic backgrounds, as well as between women and men. Exploration of the conflicts that arose in Crown Heights, Brooklyn due to deeply held misunderstandings and hatreds serve as the background for this exploration. Students are required to explore the process used by Smith for collecting and using data gained through interviews in the field.
Learning Objectives:
By participating in this module, a student will be able to:
1. Explain the importance of language, dress, and mannerisms as markers of the diversity of selected characters in the play as presented by the playwright/actress on the videos on youtube taken from a television adaptation of the play.
2. Restate the incidents that happened in Crown Heights, including your response to it, in your own words in the form of a letter addressed to a close friend.
3. Summarize the personal idiosyncrasies and the speech patterns of an individual that Smith has performed.
Tasks:
13.1 Download, complete, and submit Fires in the Mirror Modified Worksheet as a link on your portfolio page of the wiki
Download and read the Viewers Guide to Fires in the Mirror
13.2 See the videos found on youtube of a 6-part made for television performance based on the play __Fires in the Mirror__ Discuss the approach that Smith portrays and how she structures her work building toward the final scene in the play. Discuss how effectively she creates this work for television and how different it might be between a stage version and a television version that you watch.
13.3 Upload your Letter Regarding Fires in the Mirror on the wiki page as a link on your Portfolio page.
DEADLINE: Please complete all of your work on this play by 12:01am Sunday, April 22. Thanks!